The fact that many believe Marcus Lattimore still has a bright NFL future says plenty about his past.

Most college running backs begin looking for 9-to-5 jobs after tearing four knee ligaments in a span of 12 months, as Lattimore did at South Carolina. His last injury, of course, involved three torn ligaments, a dislocated knee and, possibly, a 22-month break from tackle football: The 49ers may give Lattimore a “redshirt” rookie season to fully recover from the horrific injury he sustained against Tennessee in late October.

So why spend a fourth-round pick on a surgically scarred prospect who may never recapture his previous form? The answer: Even at less than 100 percent of his past capabilities, Lattimore could be a worthy successor to Frank Gore.

Before he sustained a torn ACL in 2011, Lattimore’s highlight reel evoked 30-year-old memories of Marcus Dupree, another legendary high school running back from the South who dominated as a true freshman at Oklahoma in 1982 (side note: The Courting of Marcus Dupree by Willie Morris is on my yet-to-be-compiled, you-must-read-this book club).

At Byrnes High in Duncan, S.C., Lattimore (6-0, 232) rushed for 6,375 yards, scored 104 touchdowns and was ranked among the top 10 prospects in the nation by the Sporting News, Rivals.com and Scout.com (his junior year highlights are above). Then, as a true freshman playing in the NCAA’s most rugged conference, he earned various All-American honors, was a consensus choice for National Freshman of the Year, broke a 23-year-old school record for rushing touchdowns and inspired sentences you had read twice like this: In a 36-14 win at Florida, the 19-year-old outgained (243-226) and outscored (18-14) the No. 24 Gators.

Louisiana-based draft analyst Mike Detellier, who works for the LSU radio network, also covers high school recruiting in the South. As a result, he studied four of Lattimore’s high school game films before the Parade All-American entered college. His scouting report: Oh. My.

“It was man-among-boys stuff,” Detellier said. “He just ran over people and the people he didn’t run over he outran. He was cut above and it looked like he could compete against guys at any level. He was that special of a back before the knee injuries. As a freshman, remember who he was doing it against: The SEC is the toughest conference in college football, defensively.

“And he was doing this kind of as a one-man show. (Chicago Bears wide receiver) Alshon Jeffery was there, but still he was the focal point. When you played South Carolina you put eight or nine men in the box and your job was to stop Marcus Lattimore.”

With Gore turning 30 on Tuesday and Lattimore rehabbing in the wings, it’s easy to see the potential succession plan that’s in place.

The pair, of course, share similar pre-NFL pasts: Gore was also an otherworldy high school running back (2,953 yards, 34 TDs as a senior) who had two serious knee injuries at Miami and slipped to the third round of the 2005 draft. In the NFL, he’s recaptured enough of his past form to become the franchise’s all-time rushing leader and a four-time Pro Bowl selection. If Lattimore has a similar recovery, their eerily similar paths will continue in the pros.

“His running style is very much like Frank Gore’s,” Detellier said. “He has sharp cuts, stays low to the ground and is very powerful in the lower body. He’s shifty, he can really make people miss in space, and he’s a tremendous receiver coming out of the backfield. I’m telling you, if he can come back, the 49ers will have a very special running back. I mean, they could have another Frank Gore.”